Capitol Alert

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - As the welcome party for the Republican National Convention got going this evening at Tropicana Field, Steve Lucas, a delegate from Orinda, stood in right field wearing an "Obama sucks" button, which seemed to sum up the feeling of many partygoers here.

Lucas, a partner at the powerhouse Sacramento law firm Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinellow, Gross & Leoni LLP, was unusually precise in his explanation.

"Why Obama sucks?" he said. "He sucks on the economy, because he hasn't created a new job in 3 ½ years. He sucks on foreign policy because he leads from behind, and he's an amateur."

Lucas was standing just shy of the warning track, and a party official standing nearby remarked about how on point he was.

The conversation then turned to the small town where Lucas lives, and it became clear he is not in all areas a partisan. He said he is a supporter of the city's mayor, Steve Glazer, who happens to be Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown's top political adviser. He even favors local tax measures.

Lucas didn't have a button for it, but he said of Glazer, "He's a great mayor."

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - California's delegation to the Republican National Convention was planning today to counteract any uprising by Ron Paul supporters on the convention floor, with officials preparing "delegate whips" to lead the effort.

The state delegation, marginalized in most matters because of California's heavily Democratic electorate, could be significant in drowning out any chants supporting Paul: The 172-member delegation is the nation's largest, and unlike some split delegations is fully committed to Romney.

In a private meeting at the delegation's beachfront hotel, Jeff Randle, the senior Romney adviser who is in charge of the California delegation, told 16 delegate whips to be prepared for a potential Paul uprising, including leading pro-Romney chants. Randle and the whips were expected to meet again Monday to finalize plans.

Paul stopped campaigning in the Republican primary months ago, but the Texas congressman's supporters are an exceptionally vocal group, and he maintains a small number of delegates. The Romney campaign plans to air a film about Paul during the convention, but it is unclear if that will be enough to quiet Paul's supporters.

California delegates were loading buses this afternoon for a welcome party at Tropicana Field. The event follows a private VIP reception in a penthouse at the delegation hotel.

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - In a week in which Mitt Romney is expected to highlight his personal side - including, perhaps, his Mormon faith - Harold Stuart, an organist and alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention, accompanied California members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at a service this morning at their beachfront hotel.

Of the state's more than 700 delegates, alternates and guests selected by the campaign to attend the Republican National Convention, more than 100 are Mormon, organizers said.

About 60 of them filled a small ballroom at the TradeWinds Island Grand. Mark Clayson, of Gardena, told the congregants it is a week to "serve well and strengthen this nation, and be able to let our light shine."

He said he is hopeful for a convention that presents Romney in a more personal light than the campaign has managed in recent months.

"To get a sense of who he is," Clayson said, "I think we need to see a little bit of that."

The service ended, Stuart finished on the keyboard and a delegate came over to tell him he sounded good.

"I do better if I've got two keyboards and a pedal board," he said, "But that's OK."

The right balance for Romney, Stuart said, will be to discuss the values that inform his decisions while not overemphasizing his particular religion.

After all, Stuart said, "He's going to be the president of every person in this country."

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. -- No convention would be complete without some SWAG.

California delegates attending the Republican National Convention this week will take home a goodie bag filled with GOP gear, gift cards and some Golden State-grown staples like rice and walnuts. .

The black-and-red tote bags are stuffed with freebies like a 2012 "President" Barbie, a copy of "The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Presidents" and a $120 credit for a line of luxury swim suits. Soda, candy and ibuprofen were thrown in for good measure. Attendees also get a second bag provided to all delegates to the Republican National Convention.

All told, the California bag's contents, provided by a long list of delegation sponsors that includes Folsom Lake Ford and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, are worth up to $700. Alternates and guests get a scaled-back version of the bag.

PHOTO CREDIT: Torey Van Oot/The Sacramento Bee.